Interested in public policy, the DC budget, research and information to inform and improve the caliber of public policy discussions or advocacy? This is the place for you: information and intelligence that improves advocacy is the stock in trade of this blog.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

This is the last post on this blog. I'm still hoping to find folks to take over some content―namely Storifying Helder Gil's DCR tweets and posting Good Council. If anyone contacts me about taking those over, I'll tweet (@susiecambria) the info.

I'm not leaving DC policy and advocacy for a bit. I'm working on out-of-school time with some fabulous partners, participating on a planning team for a series of meetings sponsored by the Department of Energy and Environment and National Park Service, and will continue advocacy on the DC FY 2018 budget regarding the cleanup of the Anacostia River and Kenilworth Park.

I'm always up for coffee when I'm in town, so email me if you want to grab a cup.

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Mayor Bowser will hold a presser Thursday, May 11 at 10:30 am to provide an update on her proposed FY 2018 budget. She will also "outline amendments to her proposed budget, currently before DC council, as well as discuss how those changes will help to ensure inclusive prosperity for all District residents."

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Authors Adam Grant, a Wharton professor, and Reb Rebele, Research
Project Manager at Wharton, do more than the usual list of do's and don'ts. Instead, they report their research on the ways givers can sustain their energy and effectiveness.

Their to-avoid: "The road to exhaustion is often paved with good intentions."

I'm parsing off content regulars to others so that the blog can shut down while the must-have info continues flowing. No worries, the blog will live on, it just won't be updated. So don't panic about printing recipes! The transition will take a little while.

May 4: Register Your Constituents to Vote in 2017. This free webinar from Nonprofit Vote will cover "how to plan and carry out a nonpartisan voter registration drive. Topics will include registration tactics, best practices and messaging that works."

Health your thing? Energy? Environment? Transportation? Check out the new Adaptation Clearinghouse from Georgetown. It's an "online database and networking site that serves policymakers and others who are working to help communities adapt to climate change."

Thursday, April 27, 2017

In 1960 Jane Jacobs's book The Death and Life of Great American Cities sent shockwaves through the architecture and planning worlds, with its exploration of the consequences of modern planners' and architects' reconfiguration of cities. Jacobs was also an activist, who was involved in many fights in mid-century New York, to stop "master builder" Robert Moses from running roughshod over the city. This film retraces the battles for the city as personified by Jacobs and Moses, as urbanization moves to the very front of the global agenda. Many of the clues for formulating solutions to the dizzying array of urban issues can be found in Jacobs’s prescient text, and a close second look at her thinking and writing about cities is very much in order. This film sets out to examine the city of today though the lens of one of its greatest champions.

DOEE launched Sustainable DC 2.0 April 19 and released the Fourth Year Progress Report (PDF). Sustainable DC 2.0 is grounded in a "large-scale community-driven process to update the plan to reflect changes in policies, programs and technology as we make progress towards the plan's 2032 goals."

ICYMI, 20 To Become Fox 5 Plus. On April 20, DCRTV shared the news from broadcastingcable.com: 'The Fox station group is making changes at Channel 20/WDCA, DC's MyNetwork affiliate, to more closely align it with its primary sister station, Channel 5/WTTG. Starting July 17, WDCA will be branded Fox 5 Plus, a tie-in to the name WTTG goes by - Fox 5. WDCA also will be home to a nightly 8 PM newscast called 'Fox 5 News On The Plus,' anchored by WTTG's Tony Perkins and Shawn Yancy. The station will add breaking news updates when pertinent. 'Given Fox 5's brand recognition, this extension gives us the ability to build upon our strength in the marketplace and provide our viewers with additional opportunities to watch Fox 5 News,' says Patrick Paolini, WTTG/WDCA's vice president and general manager. WDCA's syndicated programming, including 'Judge Judy,' 'Big Bang Theory,' and 'Dr. Oz,' will continue to air. The change comes as Fox prepares to move its programming from WDCA to WTTG's spectrum. Fox sold WDCA's spectrum in the broadcast incentive auction for $119 million. Stations will have 39 months to give up their spectrum and, as in the case of WDCA and most stations in the auction, start sharing spectrum with a station in the market with which a sharing agreement has been struck....."

ICYMI, Adrianna Hopkins To 7. On April 17, DCRTV shared the news. "Adrianna Hopkins (right) will join the anchor team at Sinclair-owned Channel 7/WJLA and NewsChannel 8's "Good Morning Washington" program beginning May 29. She comes from WDSU-TV in New Orleans. 'Washington DC is one of my favorite cities and I am thrilled to make it my new home,' says Hopkins. Before New Orleans, she worked at WSVN-TV in Miami, WHAS-TV in Louisville, and WGXA-TV in Macon GA. She began her career working behind the scenes in the consumer investigative unit at WRAL-TV in Raleigh....."

ICYMI, Leon Harris Joins 4. On April 20, DCRTV shared the news. "Leon Harris (right) joins NBC-owned Channel 4/WRC. A veteran news anchor who spent 13 years covering the Washington area at Channel 7/WJLA, he will anchor weekend editions of "News4" at 6 PM and 11 PM with Erika Gonzalez. During the week, Harris will contribute to coverage of breaking news and special events and handle other reporting duties. 'Leon has been an incredibly well-respected journalist, both in Washington and on a national stage for many years,' says Jackie Bradford, president and general manager of WRC. "We are very glad he has agreed to join our team and continue his career here." The former CNNer ended his long career with Sinclair-owned WJLA last fall, when he contract was not renewed. While there, he anchored evening newscasts, hosted specials and weekly shows, and did his 'Harris' Heroes' segment that covered outstanding members of the DC area community. 'As a long-time admirer of the quality of the work and reputation of the 'NBC4' news team, I am beyond thrilled at the opportunity to work alongside some of the very best in the field,' Harris says. 'Being able to continue to cover and serve this incredible Washington region is a real treat and an absolute honor.' DCRTV wonders: Is high-profile Harris being groomed by WRC management to be the replacement for legendary weekday evening anchor Jim Vance, who is rumored to be retiring from WRC later this year? Stay tuned....."

Monday, April 10, 2017

Mayor Bowser will be live on FBMonday, April 10 at 1:30 pm for an interview.

Up First is a new podcast from NPR. It's a short 10 minutes, airs every weekday, and is by the folks at Morning Edition. Listeners will learn from NPR journalists and correspondents what is leading the headlines that day. They are also on Twitter: @UpFirst.

The DC Employment Justice Center has announced it is partnering with the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs (WLC). The valuable work of the EJC will continue uninterrupted. Those who require assistance should call WLC at (202) 319-1000, the old EJC number (202) 828-9675, or email wlc@washlaw.org and ask for help with an employment matter.

Monday, April 3, 2017

Mayor Bowser will have a press event Tuesday, April 4 following the 9:00 am Mayor-Council budget event. The press event will be held in the Mayor’s Press Briefing Room (G-9). If you can't make it to JAWB, watch live on District of Columbia Network.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 4, Mayor Muriel Bowser will submit her proposed FY 2018 (#dcfy18) budget. The mayor will present her budget to the council at the Mayor-Council Breakfast at 9:00 am.
Later in the morning, Mayor Bowser will hold a press event on the proposed budget. More on the presser later today.
Finally, the budget will be online by mid-day tomorrow.

On April 4th the Mayor releases her proposal for the Fiscal Year 2018 Budget. FY 2018 begins this October 1st. Every year there are complaints that there is not enough funding: more money for housing, schools, homelessness, public safety, etc. Sometimes the demand is for "full funding," whatever that entails. (emphasis added)

As we are about to embark on budget season for deciding the FY 2018 budget, it is useful to know just how much money we actually have. This discussion concerns only local funds; e.g., it excludes federal funds such as for Medicaid.

Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6) is holding the Ward 6 Budget Town HallMonday, April 24 at 6:30 pm. Attendees will learn the basics of how DC government's budget is created and what's being proposed in the mayor's budget. Attendees will also have the opportunity to share their priorities with the CM.

"The Sentencing Guidelines have influenced sentencing in the way they were intended with the likelihood of receiving a prison sentence increasing as an individual’s criminal history and the severity of the offense increase (Page 22)."

"There has been consistency and certainty in the length of sentences imposed for prison sentences on the Drug Grid (Page 29)."

And to understand the data in context, "The Evaluation Study revealed that the demographics of individuals sentenced have generally not changed since the implementation of the Guidelines. Under both the pre-Guidelines and
Guidelines sentencing structures, the majority of individuals sentenced were black males between the ages of 18 and 40." (p 1)

The Office of the Attorney General has launched an informal mediation pilot program to resolve lawsuits (claims under $10,000) against the city government. Learn more online, Community Dispute Resolution Program. Particularly noteworthy is that the information is also available in Amharic, Chinese, French, Korean, Vietnamese, and Spanish.

Instagram Is Now Allowing Users to Save Their Live Videos
Instagram live videos still vanish from the application upon completion, but now there's a way to save them. The Facebook-owned photo- and video-sharing network announced that users can now save their live videos to their phones for future viewing. (Adweek)

With the update, which is out now on iOS and Android, a "save" button will appear in the top right corner of the app after you finish a live video. (Mashable)

Thursday, March 30, 2017

On the Media's Brooke Gladstone took on the truth about poverty and the result is the five-part series "Busted: America’s Poverty Myths". Gladstone and her team "picked apart numerous oft-repeated narratives about what it's like to be poor in America. From Ben Franklin to a brutal eviction, Brooke gives us just a little taste of what she learned and shares a couple stories of the struggle to get ahead, or even just get by."

The segments:

#1: The Poverty Tour: "Welfare advocate Jack Frech has taken reporters on "poverty tours" of Athens County, Ohio, for years. But has media attention made any difference in the lives of the Appalachian poor?"

#2: Who Deserves To Be Poor? "The notion that poverty stems from a lack of will power and a poor work ethic is as old as America. Why that needs to be dispelled."

#3: Rags to Riches: "Confronting the myth that America is a land of equal opportunity and upward mobility for all."

#4: When the Safety Net Doesn't Catch You: "Government assistance in the United States helps millions out of poverty, but often the most needy fall through the cracks."

Preserving Public Education: A Panel Discussion on Next Steps is being held Tuesday, March 28, Noon-2:00 pm at Howard University School of Law (2900 Van Ness St NW). Panelists are: Maria Blaeuer, Advocates for Justice and Education; Danielle Holley-Walker, Howard University School of Law, dean; Princess V. Lyles, Democracy Builders, executive director. The event is sponsored by the Education Policy Working Group (EPWG) of the Education Rights Center (ERC) and the Education Law Society at Howard University School of Law, Free and open to the public.

Ward 7 CM Vince Gray will hold his State of the Ward address Thursday, April 6 at 6:30 pm at Kelley Miller Middle School (301 49th St NE).

Does your organization have meeting space others can use? Add it to Free and affordable meeting space (DC) so others are aware. (Major thanks to the person who recently added a bunch of locations!)

Thursday, March 23, 2017

If you're looking for a book to read, check out Adam Grant's recommendations from the fall 2016. The eight are nonfiction and "sail over the bar." Several on the list are The Fix by Jonathan Tepperman, Messy by Tim Harford, and 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings by Sarah Cooper.

Monday, March 20, 2017

The Department of Human Services is holding a discussion on the impact on homeless folks of the closure of Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. The event takes place Wednesday, March 29 from 1:30-4:00 pm at First Congregational United Church of Christ (945 G St NW).

D.C. Policy Center is the new think tank, policy wonk hub in town. Founded by Federal City Council, D.C. Policy Center "has a singular focus on the D.C. economy and demographics." Yesim Taylor, formerly with the OCFO, is the ED. Sign up for their emails.

CM Brianne Nadeau (Ward 1) is inviting the community to join her Monday, March 20 from 6:00-8:00 pm at Cardozo Education Campus (1200 Clifton St NW) for her Ward 1 Community Conversation. The CM will present her priorities and then attendees, in small groups, will have the opportunity to provide feedback. According to the meeting annuncement, "The ideas and conversations from the event will help guide the Councilmember's legislative agenda for the coming year." Questions should be directed to Claudia Barahona, Constituent Services Director, cbarahona@dccouncil.us or (202) 724-8181.

Attend the DC premiere of Unseen Enemy, a documentary about the growing threat of global infectious disease Sunday, April 2 from 3:00-7:00 pm. RSVP for Unseen Enemy.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton is commemorating Women's History Month at the Thursday, March 30, 11:00 am-12:30 pm panel discussion "Feminism: Alive and Well: A Conversation on What Women Want Today." The event is being held at Trinity Washington University (125 Michigan Ave NE). Norton and the panelists will engage Trinity students on the major issues and challenges facing women today, including pay inequality, child care, sexual harassment, reproductive rights, division of work between parents, single mothers, and more. This event is free and open to the public.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Starting today, I will be posting less. Granted, I've not been posting every day for awhile, but that's because I've been sick (nothing awful). If there is particular content you want to see, let me know via email. One thing I will continue is to #Storify Helder Gil's DC Register tweets.

Take the recent blog post #ShapeAnacostiaPark March 6, 2017 #Storify. It captures the energy in the room and documents the information shared at their recent stakeholder meeting on making recommendations so NPS can implement the Anacostia Park management plan.

Some of the highlights from the meeting:

@AnacostiaCCDC's Arrington Dixon said the Anacostia River is spiritual.

Starting this week, APACC will share additional updates on the meeting including an infographic, meeting notes, and more!

Pay attention to APACC to learn the history of Anacostia Park and River, the ways community organizations and members can be and are involved in shaping the future of these community assets, and take advantage of action opportunities to improve this gem of DC.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

DCPL's Center for Accessibility helps residents with disabilities more easily access programs, services, and collections at all branches of the library. The center had been located at the main library. With the closure of MLK, the center will be relocated and re-open May 8.

The official update:

Dear Community Members, Friends & Colleagues:

As you may already know, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library closed for a complete renovation on Saturday March 4th at 5:30 p.m.

The Center for Accessibility is moving to an interim space located at 1990 K St NW (entrance on 20th Street, between I and K Streets) and will re-open to the public on May 8th. This space will feature accessible computers, a scanner and reader, a videophone, classes, book groups and a host of other services. As a reminder, the Talking Book and Braille Library is a mail service and we are unable to accept digital book returns at the interim location.

American Sign Language classes, Book Clubs in ASL, ASL Story Times, and other deaf and hard of hearing related programming WILL continue as scheduled in neighborhood libraries.

Our main telephone number, 202-727-2142, will not be staffed during this two month period but messages will be returned within 48 hours. In April, there will be a brief disruption in phone and email service while we are in the process of relocating.

JAWS Classes

Beginning Wednesday, March 8 the JAWS classes will be held in March and April at the Tenley-Friendship Library located at 4450 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016. Please note the schedule changes. The classes will be offered from 10:00 AM to 3:15 PM on Wednesdays, and 1:00 PM to 5:15 PM on Thursdays.

NEWSLINE

After March 4th, hands-on help and orientation sessions to NFB Newsline, and to the Victor Stream and mobile versions of NFB Newsline will have to be scheduled ahead of time.

Starting May 8th our hours of operation will be:

Mon. – Thur. 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Fri. and Saturday 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM

To read more about the MLK renovation please visit www.dclibrary.org/mlkfuture.

Thank you for your patience.

We look forward to seeing you at our interim space when we re-open on May 8th.

Friday, March 3, 2017

Part of 730DC's mission is to help us all -- readers, writers, friends, and neighbors -- become better citizens of this crazy little diamond we call home. A big part of DC's governance structure lies in the hyper-local meetings of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs), which divide DC's eight wards into smaller districts of about 2,000 residents. In the next 60 seconds, you can make a plan to go to the next monthly meeting of your ANC, and tell the 730DC community all about it.

Here's how it'll work:

Figure out your ANC district

Find out when the next monthly meeting is

Attend that meeting and see what your community is talking about! (Maybe even get up to speak??)

Tell us a about the experience by answering a few quick questions

We'll feature you in a hot blog post and on the newsletter

It's as easy as that! We'll accept responses until March 13th, so you've got a full month to find your meeting.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Nikki Burdine Leaves 9 - 2/25 - Channel 9/WUSA reporter Nikki Burdine (right) leaves the Tegna outlet for a new reporting gig at Nashville's WKRN-TV. She's been in DC since 2006. "I found my home at WUSA9. I worked in one of the best cities in the world with some of the best in the business (and in life). I accomplished what I came here to do - to report the news in DC. I covered some incredible stories," the Tennessee native writes on her Instagram page. Before coming to WUSA, Burdine worked at Channel 25/WHAG in Hagerstown.....

Join the #WhatsGoingOn Twitter chat Thursday, March 2 at 9:00 pm and chat with Damon Jones (@socksmovement) of S.O.C.K.S. Movement, Salim Adofo (@SalimAdofo) of National Black United Front, and others about homelessness and hunger in DC and what you do to make a difference. RSVP on Facebook.

Monday, February 27, 2017

On Tuesday, February 28 at 9:00 am, Mayor Bowser will host the regular Mayor-Council Breakfast at JAWB. If you are interested in what happens, follow Martin Austermuhle (@maustermuhle) and Mark Segraves (@SegravesNBC4).

Want to know what agencies have to say in response to DC Council committee questions in the FYs 2016 and 2017 oversight process? Committees are posting agency responses online: dccouncil.us/pages/committee-oversight-2017.

Tune in at Noon on Tuesday, February 28 to hear Juan Carlos De Martin and Charlie Nesson, both with Berkman Klein Center, the former Faculty Associate and the latter founder, talk about the role of University in the face of five global challenges (democratic, environmental, technological, economical, and geopolitical).

Hear the masters of the University ― Nesson who has studied "the role of University in cyberspace" and De Martin who studies "the role of Unive
rsity in society" ― discuss which of the five global challenges are the most important and the ways that University can adapt to better serve people and the planet. De Martin will undoubtedly talk about how, if "University truly wants to maximize its social utility, it needs... to critically question the last 30 years of its development and re-discover its roots, updating them for the 21st century."
This is what he argues in his book 'Università Futura' (Codice Edizioni, Italy, 2017).

This position is located in the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), Urban Sustainability Administration (USA), Sustainability & Equity Branch. The incumbent will advise and support coordination within the Urban Sustainability Administration, the agency, and community partners to broaden and strengthen resident engagement as well as maximize equitable outcomes related to urban sustainability. Strong facilitation, community engagement, communication, project management, and analytical skills are required in addition to experience in and knowledge of equity theory and practice.

The Program Analyst, Equity & Engagement, will support the following activities: Building partnerships with community organizations to better align sustainability and environmental goals with community priorities; Incorporating genuine community engagement into sustainability and climate planning such as Sustainable DC, Climate Ready DC, and Clean Energy DC; Attending events and organizing residents and community groups around environment, sustainability, and climate to increase support and awareness of sustainability; Helping develop equity and diversity trainings for DOEE staff.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Support students at Stuart-Hobson Middle School by supporting the Capital Juniors ErgathonSaturday, February 18 from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm.

Capital Juniors, a program of Capital Rowing Club (CRC), combines academics and competitive rowing to nurture "discipline, camaraderie, fitness, knowledge of water safety, and stewardship for the Anacostia River." Capital Rowing Club says that through the program, "all DC youth, especially those from low-income areas, have access to rowing and academic support and can apply the lessons they learn in excellence toward successful futures."

There are several ways to support this effort; learn more on the CRC website.

A reminder that applications for the 2017 Trail Ranger team are due Monday, February 20.

2017 is the 5th annual Trail Ranger season. Trail Rangers will serve as ambassadors, welcoming riders to the trails, ensuring the trails are kept safe and sound... basically, team members are Trail Ranger Super Heroes!

Team members will work on Anacostia River Trail, Marvin Gaye Trail, Metropolitan Branch Trail, and Suitland Parkway Trail.

WABA plans to hire six people. The position is part-time (16 - 24 hours/week), pay is $15.50/hour, and rangers will work from March 29 to September 30.

Organizations with an interest in Anacostia Park and Anacostia River are invited to participate in the Monday, March 6, 1:00 - 3:00 pm meeting featuring National Park Service Superintendent Tara Morrison.

The purpose of this stakeholders meeting is for Morrison and NPS planners to hear stakeholder priorities for operationalizing the recently released Anacostia Park Management Plan/Environmental Assessment (PDF). The meeting will also be an opportunity for Morrison to explain the next steps in implementing the elements of the plan and talking with attendees about collaboration.

Anacostia Urban Waters Partnership, Anacostia Park and Community Collaborative, Anacostia Waterfront Trust, and the National Park Service are sponsoring the meeting.

Jennifer Gathright, a recent college graduate, describes her inner life since the election as such: '[beyond feeling young], I have been wracked with another overwhelming feeling: a yearning to know where to put myself. I think this political moment should force me to change my life, but I’m not quite sure how yet.' She's marching forward while feeling stuck, and in the meantime, making commitments with her friends about the world they want to help create.

In case you missed the news, Tene Dolphin is back in DC government, this time as Chief of Staff to the (new-ish) Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services HyeSook Chung. You can reach Dolphin by calling (202) 727-7973 or emailing Tene.dolphin2@dc.gov.

WaPo Expands Onto Snapchat - 2/13 - The Washington Post launches a daily Discover Edition on Snapchat, which will make the company the first editorial partner to provide multiple news updates throughout the day on the platform and seven days a week. The edition will be live in the US, Canada, and the UK. More at washingtonpost.com

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Open Culture, "The best free cultural & educational media on the web", offers a ton of content for free. Take a MOOC, choose from more than 1,200 free online courses (in subjects including biology, astronomy, classics, physics), read books or listen to audio books, and take language lessons.

Reserve Officers are dedicated, community-oriented, armed police officers who serve alongside MPD career officers in our mission to serve and protect the citizens and visitors of Washington, DC. Auxiliary Officers are sworn, unarmed police officers who serve alongside MPD career and reserve officers in a variety of capacities, such as working specific details including traffic and special events, helping with station responsibilities, cell block work, and community engagement initiatives. Citizen volunteers assist the department in its day-to-day operations and can perform a variety of tasks, such as administrative work, station work, and in various customer service roles.

We are specifically interested in individuals who have a desire and capacity to work with youth for various community engagement projects and events.

If you would like to participate in any of these three programs, please email marvin.haiman@dc.gov to register to attend one of the following orientation sessions:
• February 21st – 7-9pm at 441 4th Street, Northwest
• February 22nd – 3-5pm at 441 4th Street, Northwest
• February 23rd – 7-9pm at 441 4th Street, Northwest

We look forward to working with you! To learn more about volunteer opportunities and/or to register for more information today, please visit https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/volunteer-opportunities-mpdc.

WTOP Removes Comments From Website - 2/3 - As of Feburary 1, Hubbard all-newser WTOP has disabled the comments feature on its wtop.com website articles. "Our goal with the comment boards has always been to foster a space for civil dialogue on the many issues we cover daily. WTOP values free speech and our role in protecting the First Amendment. However, over the past year, the discourse on our comment boards has devolved into sometimes hateful and racist dialogue, which is a direct violation of that policy and inconsistent with WTOP's journalistic standards and principles," according to a statement at wtop.com. "Monitoring the comment boards to ensure our policies were respected and followed began taking an increasing amount of time away from our primary mission of reporting the news." WTOP directs those who are interested in commenting on stories to its Facebook and Twitter pages.....

The panel discussion Data, Justice and Opportunities in Reentry takes place Monday, February 6 from 10:00 am - 12:30 pm. The event, co-sponsored by Google and Mission: Launch, will be live streamed on YouTube and covered on various social media channels using #DataJusticeOpps.

Mission: Launch has described the event as a "fast-paced and stimulating criminal justice discussion." The event will feature esteemed panelists discussing the benefits and drawbacks of data in criminal justice decision-making, connecting policy to the discussion of collateral consequences, and initiatives dedicated to expanding workforce opportunities for people living with an arrest and/or conviction record in the US.